Internet search algorithms such as PageRank order web pages according to how well they match a given search string. Among other methods, such algorithms compute a measure of the match to the search string based on the number of pages linked to them. Other keyword-based methods of measuring the match to the search string are based on how often the search keywords occurred in a page, or how strongly associated the search keywords are within each page.
These methods of web search are simplistic. Keyword queries provide too little data to derive user intent and ambiguities in language can cause problems. Search is therefore, from a machine's perspective, under-constrained and information poor. This problem will increase as rich media, such as video, are increasingly searched. Therefore, there is a need for systems and methods that provide a more cogent web search.